My Copycat is a catchy tune that replicates something similar to the subunit’s hit song, Lipstick, although it doesn’t hit as hard in terms of the Romanian pop influence. It does use a fun horn synth to give the music some character. It’s the highlight of the song and what pretty much gives it some edge. The melody isn’t particularly stellar, but it is catchy enough and works with the music in a fun way. It’s not their strongest work, but it’s just as catchy.

Gangnam Avenue on the other hand returns us to a more straightforward dance sound, something that hasn’t really been heard in a while from them. The musical arrangement loses the unique touch, but the vocal arrangement is totally Orange Caramel. I don’t think I totally love this song though. Everything doesn’t mesh together as well as I hoped it would as the vocals don’t blend as well as they should into the music. It’s decent, but it’s a bit empty sounding.

Overall: My Copycat is a fun tune and it is just an earworm. On the otherhand, while Gangnam Avenue is a decent listen, it’s nothing particularly impressive and a bit generic.

Right away, the single opens with the title track, an infectious pop tune that samples a Punjabi wedding folk song. It’s really interesting to hear how the use of the sample flows with the chorus and it is a brilliant addition as it gives Catallena an extra pop that adds an even larger effect on the visual front when coupled with the dance. While the verses are great, it is definitely the chorus that steals the show and it’s not just because of the melody. When listening to the instrumental, it is clear to hear the excellent blend of the synthesizers with one another as well as the beat and background vocals. Really a fun and delicious listen.

So Sorry surprisingly follows up the last song with another funky song, reminiscent of 2012’s Lipstick. While sometimes overly repetitive, the song is strong enough that it could have been the promoted track (which is probably why is was performed live a few times). It’s fun as well, but the song is definitely not as upbeat in attitude as the last song, which is a nice change. Enjoyable.

Crying Uncontrollably is probably the weirdest song just because it is so different from the other two. While still an upbeat pop song, it features a much larger dance quality and is also (fitting with the title) rather sombre sounding in comparison. Unlike the squeaky vocals found in the last song, we get to hear the girls sing in a much more serious tone. It’s a nice change and a solid track.

Overall: This was a great single actually. Catallena is just an excellent and intoxicating listen that also boasts the girl group’s charms, while So Sorry is a great followup that is also A-side material. The last song was surprisingly different, but still strong and helps to give the single a bit of diversity in genre.

HAPPY PLEDIS 2012 ‘LOVE LETTER’ is the second of the Happy Pledis charity singles. Unlike the first which only included After School, this one includes Son Dambi as well as a few members from Hello Venus and NU’EST on the promotional single. LOVE LETTER was used as the promotional song.

LOVE LETTER does what Love Love Love did and that was bring us a Christmas-themed pop tune. It’s filled with all that happy and joyful spirit although the jingling isn’t as prominent as it was in Lovex3. I can say that this is probably one of the best Christmas songs that came out of K-Pop recently. It’s not particularly catchy as the vocal arrangement is a little too fast paced and sometimes it seems difficult to pinpoint where the chorus and verses transition as well as the vocals seem a bit forced at times, but it gathers much of Pledis and it’s lighthearted pop atmosphere is really refreshing in the aggressive dance-dominated K-Idol world. It’s also nice to hear a few new voices such as Ara who really works her part.

I think it’s safe to say the cheese really comes out with Winter’s Tale which includes Son Dambi, Kahi and Jungah. This song has a stronger similarity to Lovex3 and I’m not really liking it. I’ve never been a fan of these overdone Christmas songs and while it’s catchy at times it just sounds way too similar to Lovex3 that there’s really no need for this one. The girls do sound good though.

How Is It? is a much better song as we’re given a powerful ballad with R&B undertones and it features only the Orange Caramel girls. The song reminds me of a few of the early 00’s K-Pop songs as this style was pretty popular then. It’s not the best of it’s type out there, but it does it’s job and the middle 8 and last chorus step things up so it doesn’t get too boring. Vocally, of course Raina takes the lead here and she does a great job with the vocals although I don’t think her voice is as suited for these kinds of ballads.

The LOVE LOVE LOVE Remix is a really big change from not only the original but just from the general mood and sound of this single. It starts off with a heavy trance intro before going into the main song, which is just like the original except it has a strong dance beat and an array of synths. It’s a nice change and I actually think this is better than the original because it surprisingly works and is way more interesting.

Overall: Compared to the first Happy Pledis single, this one was much better. The title track was far more interesting and wasn’t as cheesy and while there definitely was still some cheese in here like the second track, the remainder of it was pretty decent.

Lipstick is the first album released by After School sub-unit Orange Caramel. The title track was used as the promotional track and the album includes several of their previously released songs and five new ones.

Let me just get all the older songs out of the way. On this album, 8 of the 13 songs were previously released on their singles and mini albums, although one of them is a new recording. The promotional songs, Magic Girl, A~ing♡, Shanghai Romance and even the new recording of Bangkok City (which isn’t much different from the original) are still as catchy as ever, all quality tracks and really sum up what the image of Orange Caramel is all about.

The other 4 older tracks feature a variety of sounds ranging from dance / pop to ballads. Three of these tracks (Not Yet…, Close Your Eyes, Can’t Delay Love) are actually ballads and solo tracks, with the first and last being Raina’s and the middle being Nana’s. Definitely Raina owns with hers most in part due to her voice, which I think is what makes Nana’s a bit weak. The last of the older tracks is One Love, which is a catchy dance / pop song. It has certainly grown on me since I heard it on their second mini, but it’s still missing something in the music.

From here, we hit the five new songs. Bubble Bath opens the album and we are given a funky electronic pop song with a heavy beat. Think J-Pop group Perfume as there is also a heavy amount of autotune. What I like most about this song is that the chorus isn’t so in your face, but rather tones it down compared to the verses which seems to really work here. It’s just insanely catchy despite not having any obvious hooks.

Milkshake is crazy. It continues the upbeat pop sound of the last song but with a stronger dance influence (probably because it’s by Daishi Dance). I have to say though that this is weaker than Bubble Bath. I really love the talk-rapping parts as well as the verses, but I find the chorus just annoying. The high-pitched vocals are bothersome and the melody itself is just too fast-paced and childish that it just sounds odd with the more flowing musical arrangement. I love the middle 8 though.

Lipstick is the promotional song for the album and it’s my favourite song on the album, even beating out Bangkok City. With it’s strong Romanian pop influence, funky synths and it’s cute but slightly sexy vocal arrangement, it easily stands out in both this album and just OC’s overall discography. I love Raina’s usual adlibs at the ends of their promo tracks and here is no exception.

Superwoman is one of the slower upbeat tracks on the album although it still has a consistently strong dance beat. It also features Pledis Trainee Seungchul. This is one of the stronger tracks on the album as it fuses a ballad like melody with a touch of rap and a strong dance influence. My only gripe is that the girl rap is a little annoying vocally. The vocals on the song are really good though and it really shows off Raina’s voice.

Clara’s Dream is the last of the new songs and it is Lizzy’s solo. Like the other solo songs, it is a ballad, but it stands a part from all the other songs on the album with it’s strong Mediterranean twist that almost reminds me of some of Lee Soo Young’s songs (which I love). This resemblance I really see around the end of the song as it climaxes a bit. It’s rather dark and seems to have a sadness to it although I do feel like Lizzy’s voice is a bit too sweet and not mature enough (yet) for this song.

Overall: Firstly, the newer songs on the album were quite strong and each is different enough to have their own personality. When added with the older songs which were, for the most part, already quite strong, this makes for a pretty solid album. I’m especially impressed by the title track and Lizzy’s solo because both brought something completely different. Sure there were a few blips here and there, but for the most part it’s a strong offering.